Financial Management Best Practice – Fixed Assets (Really?)

Let’s talk about fixed assets, an area in financial management that is sometimes out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Other than cash, fixed assets probably presents the next best opportunity for theft, computer equipment being a prime example. With the ever decreasing prices for computers and portable devises, most purchases fall below the dollar threshold set for capitalization (e.g., $1000). As a recommended best practice – and internal control – items like computers that fall under and threshold and are expensed in the general ledger should still be recorded in the fixed asset inventory with zero value and subject to the same accountability as other fixed assets. Corollary best practices are assigning custodial responsibility to individuals and conducting an annual inventory.